Life for most parents is a juggling act. Whether you work full-time, work part-time, study or juggle being a stay at home parent.
I think back to when I was at a plunket many years ago for a before school check for my youngest. It was suggested in a round about way that I was crazy gardening, having children and working fulltime. To say the least, I was a bit gobsmacked. I think I was asked what I did to relax, and that was how I responded. After I regained my composure, I did reply something along the the lines of ‘should you not be encouraging me to garden; eat healthy; spend time outside with kids; reduce cost of living and have some me time’? I guess her heart was in the right place, and was potentially worried I was doing too much, but I don't do idle well.
To me, gardening gave a sense of purpose and something I could do for myself without leaving the house (well another sense of purpose outside being a mum/working). Something for me, and an escape from going to work, coming home, and cooking and cleaning etc. I found the physical element, just as rewarding as the It also gave me another way to spend time with the kids without leaving home, and a way to relax. The rewards I gained were immeasurable. There is something about growing your own food and seeing it served up for dinner. That sense of satisfaction is almost hard to put into words.
Now my kids are much older, we have sporting activities to juggle – like swimming after school today. In order to manage that, and to avoid being caught up in buying too many takeaways, and seeing the garden going to waste, I have to think ahead in the morning. Today it was simply going outside, and picking as many veggies as I could before. In between getting home, and heading out the door again, I whipped up a salad to go with the dinner, with the veggie nacho stack pre made this morning from last nights left over nachos, before heading out the door for hockey training. We are not perfect, and last week was takeaways, but if I want to have the garden stripped in time, and not see it go to waste before the new seedlings go in, forward planning is a must, especially over the next month as we eat our way through the gardens one at a time.
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